Gonorrhea Test
Reviewed
A gonorrhea test looks for signs of a gonorrhea bacterial infection in a sample of your urine or body fluid. Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection that can affect the genitals, rectum, throat, and eyes. Testing helps detect the infection early so you can get treatment and prevent serious health problems or spread to others.
Preparation and collection
For a urine test, avoid urinating for 2 hours before the test. For a cervical or vaginal swab, avoid using vaginal douches or creams for 24 hours before the test. Tell your provider if you are taking antibiotics.
Understanding this test
Use the reference interval and units printed by the laboratory that performed the test. A result outside that interval is not a diagnosis by itself, and a result inside it does not rule out every condition. Your symptoms, history, medicines, timing, and related tests can change what the result means.
- A negative test result does not rule out gonorrhea if the test is taken too soon after exposure (it may take weeks to become positive).
- Some types of gonorrhea bacteria are becoming resistant to certain antibiotics, which may affect treatment success.
What to do next
If your test is positive, follow your provider's treatment plan exactly, take all antibiotics as prescribed, and avoid sex for at least 7 days. Notify your sex partners so they can be tested. Retest in 3 months to confirm cure. If your test is negative but you have symptoms or ongoing risk, ask your provider about retesting. Practice safe sex (correct condom use, mutual monogamy with a tested partner) to prevent future infections.